The present invention relates to a process for the insulation of contagious patents as well as to a protective suit for contagious patients.
For approximately one year now it has been observed that more and more patients enter hospitals with germs which are extensively resistant to antibiotics. It is a fact with the increased feeding with admixtures of antibiotics in animal husbandry, these are deposited in the flesh of the animals and enter humans with the absorption of food. As a result antibiotics become ineffectual in more and more people because the body has become accustomed to them and also because the bacteria and germs are resistant. These germs and bacteria can therefore be overcome only through very expensive special treatment. The problem is on the increase in hospitals, so that such patients must be received in special stations so that other patients may not be infected. Very strict and special disinfection measures must be applied to the personnel as well as to the material equipment of such stations, such as bed linen, etc.
When such patients are brought from the special station into a treatment room for x-rays, for instance, for nuclear spin tomography and other treatments, the danger exists that these bacteria may be transmitted to personnel or to the conveying means and also on the treatment apparatus through contact with contaminated patients, so that very work-intensive and expensive disinfection must be applied after every utilization by such a patient.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to find ways and means to prevent such a contamination to the greatest extent possible and thereby to avoid the disinfection effort, or at least to reduce it considerably.
The solution according to the present invention consists in enclosing the patient before the treatment to be performed in a protective suit in form of a length of fabric. This suit remains closed during the entire treatment and the transportation. However this protective suit can also be opened partially or entirely insofar as this is necessary for the treatment, and be closed following the treatment. To put on the protective suit it is opened into a cohesive length of fabric, the patient is placed on the surface thus formed and the protective suit is closed so as to envelop the patient. It is however also possible to lay the protective suit in form of a length of fabric over the patient including his bedding, with the head being placed in a hood with a cut-out for the face. This has the advantage that following operations or under conditions where the patient may not be moved, he is enveloped and thus contamination is prevented.
The protective suit according to the invention is provided with closures and is cut so that in its open state the protective suit represents a length of fabric on which the patient is placed and the patient is wrapped in this length of fabric which is adapted to his body with the closures being closed. The protective suit can envelop the patient entirely or can be adapted to individual limbs. For its transportation function alone, it suffices and is preferable for the patient to be entirely enveloped by the protective suit without adaptation of the protective suit to individual limbs. For treatment purposes however it has been shown to be preferable e.g. to provide two separate leg pockets or sleeves with sleeve extensions or other closable openings in order to render certain parts or areas of the body and/or the limbs accessible for the treatment. To ensure that the patient is enveloped as much as possible also during the treatment, a separate pocket is provided for each leg, which can be opened independently of the other leg pocket. The cut is such that the side on which the patient lies when the protective suit is opened constitutes a closed surface so that the treatment table cannot be contaminated. For x-ray or nuclear spin tomography it is important that the closures of the protective suit should not be magnetized, in particular also not metallic. Therefore Velcro or zipper closures made of plastic are preferably used.
So as to be able to envelop also a patient with no mobility, a protective suit can be made in form of a length of fabric which is placed over the patient including his bedding, with the head being placed in a hood with a cutout for the face. In order to be able to open this protective suit also for treatment purposes, appropriate closing openings are provided.
Finally it is important for the protective suit to b made of a fabric which is insulating germs or cocci. A fabric made of micro fibers has proven to be especially useful especially due to its washability, so that the protective suit can be re-used many times.
Protective suits as such are not new and are used for the most diverse purposes. Thus DE 87 03 376 U1 discloses a one-piece treatment suit which is intended to prevent incontinent and disoriented persons from removing their diaper inserts. This suit has zippers to cover the protective suit with a cover and for the possibility to uncover the problem zone to clean the care recipient. The zippers can only be actuated by means of a special hook key so that the care recipient may not be able to open them himself The suit should nevertheless afford the care-recipient wearer freedom of movement as with a garment. However this suit is not suitable as a protective suit for contagious patients, in particular because it is difficult to put on bed-ridden and sick patients who are restricted in their movements. Furthermore the danger exists that the care-taking personnel may itself become contaminated when helping with the putting on of the suit.
A patient surgery suit is also known from DE 75 00 349 U1 which in addition to protection from cooling after surgery is also designed to prevent the emission of germs by the patient""s skin into the surrounding air of the operating room. This is however a completely closed suit which must be put on b the patient himself. As its only opening for this, an overlapping incision is provided. For access during surgery, appropriate openings are cut into the suit which is conceived for a one-time use. Aside from the fact that repeated use of this suit is not possible and that the patient must always able to put on this suit himself, this protective suit has the disadvantage that the cut openings can no longer be closed so that no contamination protection is afforded at these locations.
Compared with the state of the art, the new and special feature of the protective suite according to the invention is that it is made in form of a length of fabric with closures on which the patient is placed or which is spread out over the patient, and that the patient is wrapped into this length of fabric. As a result the protective suit is easily put on, even with patients with limited or lost mobility, without contamination of the care-taking personnel.